Three Key Takeaways:
- The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld California’s ban on standard-capacity magazines, limiting magazine capacity to 10 rounds, a decision that Second Amendment supporters view as a major blow to gun rights.
- While California officials celebrate the ruling as a victory for public safety, gun rights advocates argue it leaves law-abiding citizens more vulnerable and does nothing to deter criminals.
- The case is expected to be appealed to the Supreme Court, with critics hoping the High Court will rein in lower courts and enforce constitutional protections for gun ownership.
The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals just delivered a crushing blow to gun owners.
Conservative judges appointed by Donald Trump didn’t mince words in their dissent.
And California gun owners just got some devastating news that will make Second Amendment supporters furious.
Liberal 9th Circuit upholds magazine ban
The liberal-dominated 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has delivered yet another blow to Second Amendment rights, upholding California’s restrictive ban on standard-capacity magazines.
In a decision that many gun rights advocates saw coming, an 11-judge en banc panel voted to uphold California’s law limiting magazine capacity to 10 rounds, overturning a lower court decision that had previously struck down the restriction.
Clinton-appointed Judge Susan P. Graber authored the majority opinion that gave California Democrats exactly what they’ve been pushing for – more restrictions on law-abiding gun owners.
“So far as California’s law is concerned, persons may own as many bullets, magazines, and firearms as they desire; may fire as many rounds as they like; and may carry their bullets, magazines, and firearms wherever doing so is permissible. The only effect of California’s law on armed self-defense is the limitation that a person may fire no more than ten rounds without pausing to reload, something rarely done in self-defense,” Graber wrote.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta celebrated the ruling as a victory.
“California’s ban on large-capacity magazines has been a key component in our efforts to fight gun violence and prevent senseless injuries and deaths and the devastation of communities and families that are left behind in the wake of mass shootings,” California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta said in a statement.
But gun rights advocates see right through the “public safety” charade, pointing out that these restrictions do nothing to deter criminals while leaving law-abiding citizens more vulnerable.
Chuck Michel, president and general counsel of the California Rifle & Pistol Association, didn’t hold back in his criticism of the ruling.
“This incorrect ruling is not surprising considering the inclination of many 9th Circuit judges to improperly limit the Second Amendment’s protections,” Michel stated.
Trump-appointed judges stand up for Second Amendment
The judges appointed by President Trump on the panel stood their ground, issuing powerful dissents defending Americans’ Constitutional rights.
Judges Ryan D. Nelson, Patrick J. Bumatay, and Lawrence VanDyke all pushed back against the majority’s reasoning.
Judge Bumatay’s dissent was particularly blistering, warning that California’s endless parade of gun control measures “continually whittle away the Second Amendment guarantee.”
Judge VanDyke not only authored a dissent, he filmed a nearly 19-minute dissent video.
The ruling flies in the face of the Supreme Court’s landmark 2022 Bruen decision, which established that modern gun control laws must be consistent with America’s historical tradition of firearm regulation to be constitutional.
The 9th Circuit’s attempt to connect California’s magazine ban to centuries-old restrictions on “trap guns” required mental gymnastics that even Olympic gymnasts would find impressive.
Fight heading to the Supreme Court
Michel isn’t taking this assault on the Second Amendment lying down. He’s already announced plans to appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court.
“It is high time for the Supreme Court to rein in lower courts that are not following the Supreme Court’s mandates,” Michel declared, “and this case presents an opportunity for the High Court to do that emphatically.”
This ruling doesn’t just affect California. Nearly 20 Democrat-controlled states supported California’s magazine ban, showing just how coordinated the Left’s attack on gun rights has become.
With violent crime surging in Democrat-run cities across America, left-wing politicians are working overtime to strip away Americans’ ability to defend themselves.
It’s almost like they want citizens completely dependent on government protection rather than being able to exercise their Constitutional right to self-defense.
